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Kicker Matt Ammendola left NRG Stadium disappointed but not discouraged following the Houston Texans' 24-21 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday afternoon.
On 4th-and-12, Ammendola missed a 58-yard game-tying field goal with 34 seconds left in the fourth quarter, which hit the crossbar and bounced out. Ammendola took accountability for the missed opportunity, but quarterback C.J. Stroud refused to allow his teammate to carry the blame alone.
"We have to help each other out," Stroud said. "It's a great one to learn from, but, no, you don't want to lose a close game like that. It's tough to put it all on the kicker's hand and everything. I think Matt [Ammendola] has done a great job, and we have to put him in better situations. Maybe get closer or even go try to score a touchdown and win the game. A lot of different things that could happen and play out a different way."
If the Texans had played better on the offensive side of the ball, their three-game winning streak may not have ended due to Ammendola's missed field goal.
Houston had a subpar day on offense, finishing with 352 total yards, while the run game declined significantly. With Stroud leading the way with 47 yards on the ground, the Texans rushed for 91 yards. They came into the contest against the Jaguars averaging 149.5 yards over the previous two games.
The Texans' final offensive drive that led to Ammendola's missed field goal best summarized their offensive struggles.
Houston took to the field with 3:01 left in the final period. Stroud led the Texans on a drive that resulted in 50 yards in 11 plays. He completed seven out of his eight passes, which placed Houston on the Jaguars' 58-yard line. But despite Stroud's success, he was sacked twice for a loss of 24 yards.
Ammendola said he had confidence taking the field in the final seconds, and his belief played a part in coach DeMeco Ryans' faith in the team's decision.
"It felt like that was the right decision for us to kick the ball," Ryans said. "It was close. It just didn't go in. I thought we had good range from there. Just didn't make the kick."
The Texans fell to 6-5 on the season and no longer hold the tiebreaker with the first-place Jaguars in the AFC South. They are currently third in the division due to the Indianapolis Colts' respective victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ammendola hung his head while walking to the sideline after the missed field goal. In the locker room, Ammendola addressed the media, stating he was shocked because he never came up short. After all, Ammendola is two weeks removed from kicking a game-winning field goal against the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 12.
As he stood at his locker to finish getting dressed, tight end Brevin Jordan walked by Ammendola and said, "Keep your head up." Another teammate rallying around Ammendola amid a heartbreaking loss to the Jaguars.
"We fought hard," Stroud said. "You can't put the last play of the game, supposedly, or if it is or if it's not, you can't put the whole game on that situation. We've got to be cleaner and execute better in the first half.
"I feel like we came out the second half and moved the ball pretty well, but we have to play complementary football offense and defense."
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